AAPL’S Information Resources and Tactics

There I was—and we have all been there—watching the news on television while simultaneously monitoring the flow of information streaming through on my phone and responding to emails on my laptop. Of course, just as a daughter called in for a video chat on my temporarily idle tablet the phone started ringing—an urgent call from the office. It was 10 o’clock in the evening.

The book I had hoped to read that evening was quietly calling to me and making me appreciate a certain amount of guilt because I was too bombarded to luxuriate in a calming 30 minutes of peaceful reading before bedtime. A common scenario for many of us!

Information flow—it’s everywhere these days, isn’t it?

AAPL continues to invest a fair amount in the development of our various “wellness” initiatives. Why there is a need to do so? The World Health Organization recently formalized the diagnosis of “burnout” in their ICD-10 update and, as we all know, for physicians, a major culprit in inducing the symptoms of burnout is the burden of electronic medical record documentation and the underlying need to manage the flow of high-volume medical information overall.

Physicians are not alone in this crushing need to manage a high-volume flow of information. Sociologists and psychologists have noted the impacts of this digital era in all sectors of society and in all age groups. They gradually are acknowledging in their literature and in their clinical practices, the positive and negative aspects of the high flow of information emanating from a constellation of digital devices, and the impacts on societal behaviors. Clearly, we are living in an era when our behaviors are affected by digital devices, and we have much more to learn about the implications.

What can AAPL do about this reality? We are well-recognized for the spectrum of programs and products that support leadership education and management training. We have strong career services and professional development support programs in addition to the educational components. And at the AAPL Annual Summit in Washington, D.C., in May, we introduced the technical professional development platform that integrates these education and career services programs. This platform also offers the potential for a strong sense of community at several levels.

In the last PLJ issue I described the importance to AAPL for learning, teaching and education and explained how AAPL is continuing to expand its footprint in these arenas. As a reminder:

Learning “. . . is the transformative process of taking in information that—when internalized and mixed with what we have experienced—changes what we know and builds on what we do. It’s based on input, process, and reflection. It is what changes us.” (From The New Social Learning by Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner, 2010 Association for Talent Development.)

Teaching is the process of attending to people’s needs, experiences and feelings, and intervening so that they learn things, and go beyond the given. (From infed.org/mobi/what-is-teaching .)

Education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life; the act or process of imparting or acquiring knowledge or skills, as for a profession. a degree, level or kind of schooling. (From dictionary.com .)

As mentioned, important in this digital era is how we use information and how we must learn to better collect, assimilate and manage the high flow of information that is always around us—at times overwhelming us. For AAPL, the technical professional development platform integrates our trifecta of programs, products and services.

Our trifecta includes educational programs, career services and information resources. To better meet the needs of members in this third area, AAPL recently acquired Greenbranch Publishing (www.greenbranch.com) and is now in the process of assimilating their inventory of information resources with AAPL’s inventory. Greenbranch Publishing is a leading publisher for medical practice management and brings several assets that will be of strong interest to AAPL members, including:

1. The Journal of Medical Practice Management® (published since 1984; delivered six times a year)

2. Fast Practice newsletter (published monthly)

3. Books and eBooks

4. Webinars

5. SoundPractice Podcast

Some of the book titles Greenbranch brings include:

1. Secrets of the Best-Run Practices by Judy Capko

2. Quality Care, Affordable Care: How Physicians Can Reduce Variation and Lower Healthcare Costs by Lawrence Shapiro, MD

3. Physician Alignment: Ensuring Success with Negotiations, Payment Systems, and Education of Stakeholders by Max Reiboldt

4. Establishing, Managing and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices by Kevin Pho, MD and Susan Gay

AAPL has a journal, a daily news digest service, a weekly newsletter, numerous webinars, books, and an extensive archive of information related to leadership and management in health care. Additionally, we have several thought leadership pieces that have been published. However, as AAPL continues to build and leverage our variety of programs, products and services, this acquisition provides the association an opportunity to further consolidate its brand within the health care industry in a variety of ways. The intent is to continue building the presence of AAPL within domestic and international health care on multiple levels.

By acquiring the Greenbranch Publishing assets and reconfiguring the combined information resources of both organizations, AAPL will be better able to provide an exceptional constellation of informational materials to our industry. AAPL’s trifecta of education programming, career support services and deep levels of information resources, all wrapped within an interprofessional leadership community and housed on a leading-edge technical professional development platform, make AAPL an association that truly is designed to deliver only the best of customer services and support. And we do this not only for the individual but also for the host of institutions we are privileged to work with on a regular basis. This is a very exciting time for AAPL as we continue moving forward in our growth pattern of success and influence.

Although we are now contributing more to your high volume of information, I believe you will be impressed with the new AAPL products and services. Be assured, however, that we will do our best to not overburden you as you strive to implement your own approaches to information management. Please let us know if we are not meeting your expectations in this regard. (Our staff members appreciate compliments as well, if you are so inclined.)

Leading and creating change in health care through physician leadership is our association’s overall intent. AAPL maximizes the potential of physician leadership to create significant personal and organizational transformation. I encourage each of you to continue seeking deeper levels of professional development—and to reflect on how we can generate positive influence at all levels. As physician leaders, become more engaged, stay engaged and help others become engaged. Creating a broader level of positive change in health care—and society—is within our reach.